The Commons on the Alameda is a pueblo-style cohousing community on 4.5 acres at the edge of the city of Santa Fe. Construction began in 1991 and the last homes were completed in 1997. Our common house is adjacent to our main plaza. Our 28 homes cluster around four beautifully landscaped smaller courtyards that we call “placitas”.
We eat communal organic meals on Mondays and Thursdays using local and organic produce as much as possible. Residents participate in the cooking and cleaning up for one meal per month; the remainder of their eight hour per month service commitment involves various endeavors including landscape maintenance, newsletter production, and childcare. Committee chairs (kitchen, guest room, grounds, etc) orchestrate much of the nitty-gritty. We have two community meetings per month–one to discuss and make consensus-based decisions regarding business items and the other to share on a more personal level. Every fall we host our community celebration for the greater community with tree planting, cider making, entertainment, green chili stew, and dancing. We have an orchard area with a chicken coop, fire circle, and a basketball hoop.
Several residents have home businesses. Many homeowners have rental rooms or efficiency units available. The community has three rooms available for guests of residents. We have about eighty residents, with approximately 25% of residents being children. The community remains focused on youngsters with cooperative childcare that provides childcare for meeting times and other community events. There are also play areas throughout the property.
Enjoying and building multigenerational sustainable community together.
The vision of the Commons on the Alameda is to enrich our lives through a shared intention to cultivate positive interactions within a mutigenerational co-housing community; to encourage social and ecological responsibility; to draw upon our talents, resources and ideas; to strengthen our connections; to share in meals, service and celebration; to build and sustain our community and to design the buildings and grounds to reflect our commitment to work together harmoniously as neighbors, balancing needs for privacy with those for relationship.
Check website for homes for sale or rent. We invite interested folks to come and meet us, get a sense for the community and the commitment. Sales are between the homeowner and the buyer directly.
Please contact thecommonsonthealameda@gmail.com to arrange visits. We have guest rooms available, a modest donation is requested.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Everyone must agree before moving forward.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
Association president elected annually
Board of Directors
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (2 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
8 hours per month for homeowners, 6 hours per month for renters
Monthly homeowners assessments
Meals on an “as eaten” basis
Common House, Garden(s), Library, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area
Residential areas outside city centers but within metropolitan regions.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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